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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25056316">Reflections of Our Souls</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eaglefairy/pseuds/Eaglefairy'>Eaglefairy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Xenoblade Chronicles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Daemons, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Xenoblade Chronicles Spoilers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 00:40:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,587</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25056316</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eaglefairy/pseuds/Eaglefairy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>For as long as the Homs have lived on Bionis, they have never lived alone.  When a Homs is born, so too is a daemon--a mysterious creature unlike any others seen on the titan, formed of ether to physically represent the soul of their partner.  Since time beyond memory, the Homs and their daemons have fought against the Mechon, culminating on a climactic battle on the bridge between their worlds.  But when the Mechon return after a year of inaction, two boys set out on a journey of revenge that will forever change themselves and the world.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Battle of Sword Valley</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thanks to the Xenoblade 1 discord for inspiring me to write this!  I love you all, you're the best.  If you don't know what a daemon is, I've written an explanation in the end notes, so give that a read before starting the fic, it'll make a lot more sense that way.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The worlds of the Bionis and Mechonis could be many things: beautiful and quiet, serene and majestic, or brutal and cacophonous, dark and savage.  For the Homs army making their last stand on the sword stretching between the titans, they certainly leaned towards the latter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soldiers and their daemons alike screamed and roared, battling back the Mechon as best they could.  But no matter how many they felled, the deadly machines kept advancing, their numbers seemingly endless.  Before long, calls to retreat dominated the battlefield, and a tide of soldiers and daemons pulled back from the constant waves of Mechon flooding out from deeper in the valley.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite the hopelessness of the army at large, one Homs-daemon pair ran towards the approaching Mechon, heedless of the danger.  Dunban swung the Monado with wild abandon, cutting through Mechon left and right, while his bobcat daemon Samrilli tore through their armor almost as easily thanks to the Enchantment empowering her claws.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re advancing down our weak right flank.  For a bunch of soulless machines, they seem to know a thing or two,” Dunban observed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll see about that,” Samrilli responded, snarling at the advancing Mechon as she caught up to her partner.  “Ready for more?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dunban activated the Monado once more, a smile finding its way onto his face.  “Let’s go!”  The duo rushed into the fray once more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, two other Homs ran across the battlefield with their daemons.  Once they saw the Monado’s light, Dickson and Mumkhar joined Dunban behind the meager cover of a twisted piece of debris.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dunban!  We’ve been given the order to retreat,” Dickson snapped.  “We’re pulling back to Colony 6.  That’s where we’ll set up the last line of defense.”  Dickson’s lizard daemon said nothing, content to look out over the battlefield from the safety of its reinforced capsule.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a good idea.  Any more time spent hanging around here and we’re done for,” said Dunban, a thoughtful expression on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Count me in!  We’ve gotta get out of here,” chimed a voice from the other side, Mumkhar nodding in agreement with his wolverine daemon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or, we could stay and fight?” suggested Samrilli, an eager look on her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We may die if we take a stand here, but staying gives us the chance to change our destinies,” continued Dunban.  “We have the Monado.  With this, the future is ours for the taking!”  Samrilli was already on top of the debris stack by the time Dunban was finished talking, but when Dunban went to follow her, Dickson pulled him back down by the shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stupid beast!  Your body can’t take any more of the Monado.”  Dickson glared at the swordsman.  “I can tell by just looking at you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dunban shook his head with a wry smile.  “Don’t worry old man, I’m still in control.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re fine, Dickson!” Samrilli shouted down from her perch.  “But we won’t be for long if we don’t get moving!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dickson looked at the Monado for a moment before shaking his head.  “Should’ve known I couldn’t talk sense into a beast.  Let’s do this.  I’m going with you,” he continued, checking the sights on his Sabre.  “You’ll need someone to drag your corpse home!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As long as you’ve still got the strength in you, old man,” Dunban retorted, Samrilli stretching and getting ready for another mad dash across the battlefield.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oi, you two!  We’ve been ordered to pull back.  I’m leaving!”  Mumkhar wasn’t any more willing to throw himself back into danger than he had been a few moments ago, and his daemon emphatically agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Besides, have you </span>
  <em>
    <span>seen</span>
  </em>
  <span> what’s coming our way?  We don’t stand a chance, not even with the Monado!”  Chernamen was gesticulating wildly with her paws, trying to illustrate the size of the Mechon force ahead of them.  “It’s the best weapon we have, sure, but what can three Homs and two daemons do against an entire army of Mechon?!  We need to get out of here if we want to survive!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Samrilli chuckled.  “Have you forgotten exactly who those Homs and daemons are, Cherna?  We’re Dunban and Samrilli, heroes of the Homs!  Dickson the traveller, the one who found the Monado and gave us this chance against the Mechon!  And no one would ever dare to forget Mumkhar and Chernamen, the clawed terrors!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chernamen grumbled.  “Flattery is a dirty trick, Samrilli.”  She stretched out her paws, sharing a look with Mumkhar.  </span>
  <em>
    <span>Staying a little longer couldn’t hurt</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she insisted over the bond.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mumkhar groaned, knowing full well that his daemon was stubborn enough to stand her ground and force him to stay here whether he liked it or not.  </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fine!  But if things go south, we’re leaving.  I don’t plan on dying in this godforsaken field.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>One of the last remaining Homs soldiers nearby yelled, “The enemy’s second wave is approaching!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s now or never, Dunban,” Dickson said.  “Let’s show them what we’ve got.  We’ll give them a warm Homs welcome!”  With that, the trio and their daemons left behind their cover and dove back into the fray.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few moments of preparation, a quick swing of the Monado granted Enchantment to Dickson, Mumkhar, and the daemons, allowing them all to join Dunban in tearing apart the waves of machinery.  But no matter how many Mechon the team scrapped, more would come to take their place.  It was only a matter of time before something went wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Samrilli yowled as Dunban raced forward, the Monado flashing between the armored plates of the Mechon.  “Dunban, wait!” she yelled as she ducked and dodged between the brutal machines, desperate to keep up with her partner.  “You’re going too fast--I can’t keep up!  </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dunban!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Dunban didn’t seem to even notice his daemon’s cries.  He just kept charging forward, heedless of anything but the enemies in front of him and the sword glowing and sparking in his hand.  Samrilli yowled in pain, the reflection of electric shocks traveling down their bond making her steps unsteady.  Eventually, his stamina seemed to run out, and he sank to his knees on top of a pile of Mechon scrap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Samrilli panted as she finally drew near to her Homs, still trembling slightly from the strain placed on their bond by the distance created in Dunban’s mad dash.  “What were you </span>
  <em>
    <span>thinking</span>
  </em>
  <span>?  I almost--”  She cut herself off abruptly as she drew nearer, her pawsteps becoming uncertain as she got closer to Dunban.  “Dunban?  Are you…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sudden steps of an approaching Mechon interrupted her words.  Though she bared her fangs and readied herself to pounce, her motions all felt slower than usual, and she knew in her heart that the Mechon would attack before she could, and that would be the end…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Except Dickson flung himself between her and Dunban and the Mechon, getting stabbed in the back in the process.  Despite his injury, he still managed to get an ether shot off into the machine’s face, and both he and the machine tumbled down the side of the scrap pile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Samrilli leapt up from Dunban’s side to peer down where Dickson and the Mechon were still entangled.  “Dickson!  Are you okay?” she shouted, shock evident in her voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I ain’t going down that easily!” came the reply from below.  “Is Dunban alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bobcat daemon looked over her shoulder to where Dunban had managed to pull himself to his feet, using the Monado as a support.  He panted in exertion, but Dunban and Samrilli both could feel the determination flowing through them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re good to go!”  Despite his words, Dunban stumbled on his way down from the scrap pile, and Dickson quickly moved to his side to support him.  Samrilli stayed near Dunban, eyes darting around the battlefield and landing on Mumkhar, who was running towards…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mumkhar, what are you doing?!  That way is--”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dunban’s warning was cut off by Mumkhar’s shout from across the battlefield.  “Sorry, brothers, but it’s the Monado they’re after, so have fun keeping them occupied for me!  I’m getting the hell out of here!”  Chernamen by his side was oddly silent, unwilling to meet Samrilli’s eyes across the distance between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mumkhar, you dirty--”  Dickson looked ready to tear into Mumkhar even in an active warzone, but he wasn’t given the chance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, don’t worry.  I’ll organize your funerals!”  Mumkhar ran away, chuckling to himself as Dickson and Dunban looked on in disbelief.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Samrilli ran forward a few steps before being stopped by the bond.  She reached out one paw, looking towards her longtime friends as they ran from the battlefield.  Chernamen briefly turned around, and said something inaudible over the sounds of the battle around them.  To Samrilli’s eyes, it looked like </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m sorry, Sam.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Dickson turned around just in time to notice a massive ether blast rocketing straight towards them.  The three leaped away just in time, blown back further by the impact of the shot on the scrap pile next to them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dickson looked up at the approaching fortress unit and muttered, “If this is a joke, it ain’t funny.”  He looked to the sky with annoyance, tossing a hand into the air beside him.  “At least we know our luck can’t get any worse from here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beside him, Dunban and Samrilli locked eyes.  It took only a moment for the two to agree on a course of action, and they stood in unison.  “Dickson, take care of the survivors.”  Dickson stared up at him in disbelief, but both man and daemon ignored him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dunban glared ahead at the approaching Mechon, the light on the Monado reflecting in his eyes.  “Vile Mechon,” he began.  “If you think the Homs, the people of Bionis, are just waiting here for you to pick us off...you are sorely mistaken!”  Dunban and Samrilli yelled in unison as they sprinted towards the attacking Mechon, knowing only one side of the battle would survive the night, and accepting whatever fate the Bionis had in store for them.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This idea came to me one night and it wouldn't let me stop thinking about it until I wrote it, so here we are!  A quick explanation of daemons for those who haven't read His Dark Materials: a daemon is the physical representation of one's soul.  They are formed when a child is born from a substance known as Dust, and throughout childhood, they can shift between whatever animal forms they wish.  Sometime during puberty, a daemon will take one form for the rest of their lives, never to change shape again.  This event is called "settling", and it's treated as a major life milestone.  A daemon and their human have a powerful metaphysical bond; a daemon-human pair can't move too far away from each other physically, they can feel each other's pain and emotions, and they can share thoughts at any time.  Generally, daemons interact with other daemons while humans interact with other humans; though it's not uncommon for daemons to talk to humans other than their own, it takes time for that sort of familiarity to build up (i.e. a daemon won't talk to another human on their first meeting.)  The greatest taboo involving daemons is a human touching another person's daemon; it's only done between people with incredibly close relationships (like lovers) or in cases of extreme emergency.</p><p>Beyond that, there are two things specific to this AU I want to cover about daemons.  Firstly, Dust doesn't exist in this universe; Homs daemons are formed out of ether instead.  Secondly, Homs are the only race in this AU to have daemons!  I won't say what the High Entia or Machina have just yet, but I will say right now that Nopon have daemons, they're just invisible and intangible, so apologies to any Riki fans who wanted to see what his daemon would be.</p><p>Lastly, this is the first multichapter fic I've written!  I appreciate constructive criticism, but please be kind; I'm very nervous about posting this.  In addition, I can't promise any sort of regular update schedule.  The chapters will happen when they happen, but know that I have no other projects at the moment and no plans to abandon this fic!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. One Year Later</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>One year after the last battle, Shulk and Meralla go about their day as usual.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a beautiful day in Colony 9.  Not too hot, not too humid, and with enough of a cool breeze to convince Shulk to leave the lab for once and look for new Mechon parts to experiment with in the scrapyard.  The M71 in the corner looked promising for parts; nothing in the scrapyard was undamaged, but sometimes individual components were unscathed enough to be repurposed for the Defense Force’s equipment.</p>
<p>“If you can find enough of the optical system, we could use it for the targeting systems of the anti-air batteries.”  Meralla, his blue jay daemon, was pretending to be helpful by occasionally pecking and clawing at the shell of the Mechon, but the effects of her labor were limited, to say the least.  Shulk gently pushed her off onto a different part of the shell, and finally got into the more intact areas of the Mechon.</p>
<p>Sadly, the optical system itself wasn’t counted among the intact pieces, so Shulk threw away the junk part with a sigh.  He laid down on the ground to take a break and stare up at the clouds, being careful of the sword strapped to his back while he did so.  Meralla busied herself hopping around the scrapyard, looking at pieces of other Mechon and trying to find anything useful.</p>
<p>“Shulk!”  Meralla’s call pulled Shulk out of his head, and he turned to see what she had found.  “There’s an M69 over here!  It’s armor would be perfect for a shield!”</p>
<p>Maybe this trip wouldn’t be a waste after all.  Shulk hopped up and ran over to the rusted hull, while Meralla climbed it with some difficulty, flapping her good wing for balance.  Shulk started pulling at the hull, finding it strangely adherent to the mechanical parts it was protecting.  Meralla hopped onto his wrist, shouting encouragement in her little bird voice.  Suddenly, the Mechon began moving on its own!  Shulk fell back with a yell, Meralla shrieking her indignation at being thrown from her perch.</p>
<p>Out of nowhere, a gray and white blur slammed into the hunk of metal.  It wasn’t pushed back very far, but it gave Reyn enough time to follow his daemon onto the scene.</p>
<p>“Shulk!  You all right?”  Reyn leaned down to give his friend a hand up, which Shulk gratefully accepted.  Once they were both standing, they saw that it hadn’t been a Mechon activating in the scrapyard; it was just a krabble, using the Mechon’s hull as armor.  Shulk breathed a quick sigh of relief, and he and Reyn prepared to fight the angry krabble.</p>
<p>Once they defeated the krabble (and a caterpile that wandered over to join the fight towards the end), Shulk took a few seconds to catch his breath.  As Meralla hopped over from where she’d been staying out of the fight, he sheepishly said, “Thanks, Reyn.  That was a close one.”</p>
<p>Reyn just shook his head.  “Man, why’d you go off by yourself?  I woulda gone with you if I’d known you were coming out this way.”</p>
<p>“Well, it’s a really nice day today, and I’ve been running low on scrap in the lab, so I figured I’d just go out quickly to grab a few parts.  I didn’t think I’d run into trouble here.”  Shulk gently ran his fingers through Meralla’s feathers, the repetitive motion calming the last of his nerves.  “Thanks again for coming out here.  Now we have the shell, and I can get back to work.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, we’d better get back to the colony.”  Lilari made her way back to the others, having checked the rest of the area for any more stray wildlife.  “Square-tache’ll kill us if we’re late again, Reyn.”</p>
<p>“Sorry, Lila.  We didn’t mean to take up your whole break…”  Meralla knew that also meant she and Shulk probably wouldn’t get lunch, but that was fine; today would not be the first or last time that happened.  </p>
<p>“Don’t worry about it!  C’mon, let’s get back.”  Reyn grabbed the krabble shell, and the four set off back to the colony.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>--</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Reyn handed the shell over to Shulk at the entrance of the colony, then took off with Lilari at his heels to try and get back to drills before he was too late.</p>
<p>“You think they’ll make it?” asked Meralla.  </p>
<p>“Yeah--well…”  Shulk was going to try to be nice about it, but after a few more seconds of thought he had to shake his head.  “I think there’s a chance, but you know how the instructors like to start early some days.  With Reyn’s luck, they’ll probably already be through warm-ups by the time they get there.”</p>
<p>Meralla cackled at that, and Shulk found himself smiling as he walked back through the colony to get to the lab.  Once he was approaching the Defense Force HQ though, he heard a familiar, loud voice echoing from up ahead.</p>
<p>“You idiots!  What the hell are you playing at?!”</p>
<p>Shulk winced in sympathy for whoever was the target of the colonel’s wrath today.  “Sounds like the colonel’s about to explode,” he murmured to Meralla, who responded with a falsely solemn nod.</p>
<p>“Crashing the mobile artillery into a house?!  How long have you been in the force?!”  Colonel Vangarre looked absolutely furious, waving his arms every which way as he scolded the Defense Force soldiers in front of him.  Beside him, his mule daemon let out an intimidatingly loud bray, scaring both recruits into standing up straight.</p>
<p>“Sorry, Sir.  It’s just that we were trying to go as fast as we could, like you ordered…”  One of the soldiers began meekly explaining the events, trying to deflect the colonel’s wrath.</p>
<p>“But it’s impossible to get back to the Military District in only 40 seconds!”  The other soldier clearly lacked the sense of his companion.  His goat daemon headbutted him in the legs, but it was already too late.</p>
<p>“I don’t want any excuses!  Champions don’t whine, they win!”</p>
<p>One of the soldiers tried to interrupt with a meager “Yes sir,” but the colonel was hardly finished.  </p>
<p>“You’re a disgrace to the uniform!  Are you forgetting the shame you brought on this force during joint maneuvers with Colony 6?!  Stick your back into it, maggots!  Move it!  Get the artillery back to the military district, double time!  Then I want a million press-ups from both of you!  And you better not stop until your biceps EXPLODE!”  The colonel’s daemon punctuated his sentence with another long bray.</p>
<p>“C-colonel...we can’t move the artillery.”  The sensible soldier spoke up nervously, his terrier daemon whimpering softly at his side.</p>
<p>“What?!  Then you better give a damn good reason why!”</p>
<p>“Sir, the impact of the crash damaged the ether conduction cable!  All the ether fuel leaked out, and the cylinder is empty!”  Upon seeing the expression of rage on Vangarre’s face only grow, the terrier daemon gave up on all pretense of bravery and was now laying pressed flat to the ground, fearfully looking up at the colonel’s daemon as she glared down at him.</p>
<p>“Change the cylinder then!  Can’t you do something as simple as that?”  </p>
<p>The colonel was in a proper rage now.  Shulk probably should’ve just been on his way ages ago, but even as he tried to slip past them, Meralla whispered in his ear, “Are you kidding me?  You want to leave <em> now</em>?  It’s just getting good!”  Shulk sighed in defeat, seeing that there wasn’t even a way past the colonel without being noticed, and resigned himself to watching the poor soldiers try to escape the colonel’s wrath.</p>
<p>“The auxiliary cylinders have all been used up.  It’ll be three days before they get more in.”  The soldier with the goat daemon spoke up again, even as his daemon stepped on his toes in a futile effort to get him to stop making things worse.</p>
<p>“I told you to keep a stock of fuel in reserve!  You’re nothing but slackers!”  The colonel’s daemon brayed once more, this one her loudest yet.  Both soldiers and their daemons jumped, and everyone Shulk could see around the perimeter of HQ looked as though they were very happy to not be in that particular situation.</p>
<p>“Same old colonel,” Shulk mused while watching the colonel continue to berate his subordinates.  “At this rate, the men will all be dead before they see any action.”</p>
<p>Meralla snorted from atop his shoulder.  “Stop worrying about the soldiers, they’ll be fine.  Come on, let’s get this armor into the lab.”  Shulk nodded, adjusted his hold on the mechon plate, and at last headed into the lab.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I never realized how much exposition there is in the first few hours of Xenoblade until I had to sift through it all in preparation for the next few chapters.  But all things considered, I'm actually pretty happy with this chapter!  I'm struggling with how much canon text to include, but I think I struck a nice balance here.  (I couldn't leave out Vangarre's spotlight moment no matter how hard I tried.)</p>
<p>Speaking of exposition, I struggled to include some things about Shulk and Reyn's daemons in the actual story, so I'll just cop out and put it all in here instead.  Shulk's daemon is Meralla, a female blue jay with a permanently injured wing leaving her grounded.  She hardly minds it, though.  Reyn's daemon is Lilari, a female bearded collie with a white and gray pattern.  Let me know if I should continue doing these daemon introductions in the notes; I could see it all being hard to keep track of in the story.</p>
<p>Lastly, I realized last time that I forgot to add my tumblr!  You can find me <a href="https://eaglefairy214.tumblr.com/">here</a> if you want to talk about Xenoblade or His Dark Materials, ask me questions about the fic, or just drop by for a chat!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Dickson and Fiora</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dickson’s returned to the colony, and one of his first tasks is to check on Shulk and his research.  Turns out, he’s not the only one doing that today.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The familiar sight of the Monado on its pedestal greeted Shulk as he headed into the lab.  He had only just put the Mechon hull down in a corner when a much less expected greeting rang out into the lab.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, Shulk!  How are you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shulk whirled around at the sound of the familiar voice.  “Dickson!”  He quickly abandoned the Mechon part, walking back towards the desk the other man was sitting on.  “I thought you were still traveling!  When did you get back to Colony 9?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dickson smirked.  “Just now.”  He ruffled the pages of notes he’d been skimming before Shulk walked in.  “I see you’ve been busy with your Monado research.  How’s that going for you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, your research notes have definitely helped,” Shulk began, but whatever he was going to say next was swiftly cut off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But we still haven’t learned anything new for sure yet.”  Meralla finished his sentence on a sour note, drawing her a curious look from Dickson.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s got your feathers in a twist, birdie?”  Dickson’s drawl seemed to be the catalyst for all of Meralla’s thoughts on the situation to come spilling out at once.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, it’s true!  Nothing about our understanding of the Monado has really changed since you were last here!  And even if it had, Dunban is still the only person who can control it properly, so until we find someone else to use it there’s no use in the research anyway!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, hey, calm down.”  Shulk intercepted Meralla’s rant when she paused for breath.  “We might not have made any proven discoveries, but don’t you remember that theory we have now about the symbols?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s this about symbols?  You mean there’s more than one now?”  Dickson’s question drew the attention of both Shulk and Meralla, and after a quick glance between the two of them, Shulk began to explain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, the central piece is made of multilayered glass, with each layer having a different construction.  The symbol we see when the Monado is activated appears in that central piece, but only on one of the layers.  My theory is that there could be other symbols that appear on other layers, and those could prompt the Monado to use other powers we don’t even know about yet.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So what you’re saying is there might be even more power hidden away in the Monado?”  Dickson turned away from the research notes to face Shulk fully.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, if only we could find a way to unlock it…”  Shulk let his hand rest on the Monado’s pedestal as his thoughts drifted through all his different theories.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But we </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> unlock it, which is what I was saying back at the beginning of all this, so there’s no </span>
  <em>
    <span>point!”</span>
  </em>
  <span>  Meralla’s temper had apparently not calmed down during Shulk’s explanation, as was evidenced by the angry shriek she punctuated her sentence with.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really, what’s gotten into you today?  You’re being weirdly pessimistic.”  Shulk broke his staring contest with the Monado to instead look at his daemon, who sighed and shifted on his shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry, it’s just...the Monado creeps me out, you know?”  Upon seeing the blank looks of Dickson and Shulk, Meralla rushed to elaborate on her point.  “I mean, come on!  The damn sword shocks and controls pretty much everyone who uses it except for Dunban, for some reason?  And even then, he told us it controlled him at Sword Valley--and it destroyed his arm!  You can’t tell me that’s not weird for a sword!  Plus it just...it just feels weird to me, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shulk tilted his head.  “Feels weird how?  Is it an actual sensation, or more of an emotion?  Why did you never mention this before?”  He ran over and grabbed a sheaf of blank paper off the desk, shifting into full research mode.  “Hmm...I wonder if Dunban and Samrilli ever felt something similar...I’ll have to ask them later…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly, Dickson clapped a hand down on Shulk’s unoccupied shoulder.  “Oh no you don’t!  If I let you get started on this now, you won’t leave this lab until the sun’s set.  It’s not healthy for you to spend this much time inside!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But--” Shulk’s retort went unheard as Dickson barreled on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not like Meralla’s going anywhere; same for Dunban and Samrilli.  You can ask them about all this tomorrow.  Now go outside and enjoy yourself!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Against Dickson’s arguments, Shulk had no choice but to concede.  “Fine, fine!  I’ll head out again,” he raised a hand to stop whatever Dickson was going to say, “to a place that’s outside the colony </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>not the junkyard.  Happy?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dickson chuckled.  “There ya go, you’re finally learning!”  He looked back to the notes again, lazily waving them off with a hand.  “Go on now, have fun.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shulk shook his head fondly, then turned around and left the lab in search of even more fresh air.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fiora sighed as she emerged from her home, glancing down at the lunchbox she was holding.  </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hm, I doubt Shulk’s eaten today...he’s probably in the lab, so I’ll check there first.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Here comes Dickson!  I didn’t know he was back in the colony!</span>
  </em>
  <span>  Dorinnor’s excited thoughts interrupted her own, and Fiora looked up to see the man approaching her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello, Dickson!  It’s good to see you again!”  Fiora called out to him with a smile, and he turned to face her with a grin of his own.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, hopscotch!  What are you up to today?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I thought I’d start by bringing Shulk lunch.”  She hefted the lunchbox as proof.  “I know how he gets when he’s absorbed in his work, and I don’t even think he went home last night.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sounds like we had the same idea.  I just kicked him out of the lab for some fresh air, so you probably know where he’s gone.  I won’t keep you; go enjoy your picnic!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks, Dickson!”  Fiora waved goodbye as she changed paths from going further into the colony to going out of it.  Dorinnor followed her, shortening his hops so he wouldn’t get too far ahead.  Their walk only took them a few minutes, and soon enough they found Shulk and Meralla in Outlook Park, looking over the peaceful colony below.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There you are!”  At the sound of her shout, Shulk and Meralla both turned to face her.  Shulk smiled and waved her over, while Meralla hopped down to perch on Dorinnor’s head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The jackrabbit looked up at his new guest with bemusement.  “Fancy seeing you out of the lab,” he joked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Meralla puffed up with false indignation.  “Excuse you!  This isn’t even the first time we’ve been out of the lab </span>
  <em>
    <span>today</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fiora laughed.  “Oh really?  Then does that include walking to the lab this morning after getting a good night’s sleep in a real bed?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Meralla looked away in a huff, muttering, “I don’t have to answer that…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shulk shook his head and said, “You know that’s basically the same as admitting we’ve been working for two days straight, right?”  Meralla’s cheeps of indignation were drowned out by Fiora’s tired sigh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“One of these days, I’ll get you to take proper care of yourself, just you wait.”  Remembering the reason she went out there in the first place, she opened up the lunchbox she was carrying.  “And maybe it’ll even start today!  I brought you lunch, since I’m sure you were planning on working through your lunch break before Dickson sent you out here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shulk’s eyes lit up at the sight of food.  “Thanks, Fiora!”  He quickly grabbed the sandwich from her hands, but at least had the grace to sheepishly admit, “...You were probably right about the lunch thing, though.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For a few minutes, they sat together in the quiet, listening to the sounds of the wind rustling through the trees and the waves lapping against the shores and cliffs below.  Eventually, Dorinnor murmured, “It’s so peaceful…”  Meralla let out a soft chirp of agreement, not wanting to break the moment with more words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As the wind picked up slightly, Fiora tilted her head upwards, letting it blow her hair out of her face.  “The breeze feels so good…”  Glancing over to the boy beside her, she continued, “I wish every day could be like this, always.”  He smiled back at her in return, but whatever he was about to say was drowned out by a sudden cacophony.  Fiora’s hands flew up over her ears as she looked up towards the sky, searching for whatever danger the air sirens were wailing about.  “Odd, it’s been a long time since we’ve had any debris fall…” she said half to herself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shulk stood up, eyes still trained on the sky.  “Come on, we should head back to the colony in case more comes down.”  Fiora was already packing up the lunchbox, Meralla clumsily flapped her way back to Shulk’s vest, and the four went back down the trail to the colony, ready to continue the day.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So!  It's been...a long three months for me.  Classes started up again, and I could barely find the time or motivation to write in between sorting out where I'd live for the semester and trying not to fail organic chemistry while taking the class remotely.  The good news is, I've got a lot more of an outline going for this fic now, so future updates should come a little faster?  As always, feel free to drop by my <a href="https://eaglefairy.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a> to chat about Xenoblade and more!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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